The invention relates to an arrangement for introducing a flexible starter bar, having a starter bar head into a continuous casting plant from above. The arrangement includes a lifting mechanism for gripping and lifting the starter bar and a transporting car provided with a sliding or roller path, which starter bar can be brought to the introduction part of the strand guide by the transporting car.
An arrangement of this kind is already known (German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,318,158), in which the starter bar is introduced into the strand guide by means of a driving stand fastened to the transporting car via the sliding or roller path which is provided with an arcuate end part. The difficulty with this design is that the lifting cable provided with a receiving hook at its end for gripping the starter bar has to pass the driving stand, and furthermore a separate returning means having a separate drive is necessary for returning and lowering the receiving hook together with the lifting cable. For introducing and lowering the starter bar, substantial pressure forces from the driving rolls are necessary. Finally, the driving stand which encloses the starter bar near its end portion when the starter bar is lying on the transporting car, makes it difficult to get access to the starter bar, and the lifting mechanism makes it difficult to get access to the mould.
According to another suggestion (German Auslegeschrift No. 1,961,443), the starter bar is transported to the mould by a car that is movable on the casting platform in a continuous casting plant. The car carries an endless conveyor belt guided over deflection rollers, which conveyor belt introduces the starter bar into the mould. This arrangement requires a comparatively great construction height corresponding to the diameter of the deflection rollers, thereby limiting the accessability of the starter bar. Beside the transporting car, a separate lifting means for lifting a cassette enclosing the starter bar and a turning means for turning the cassette before the starter bar is delivered to the transporting car are necessary.